Anthony Breznican has a new article on Transformers 3 titled “Next ‘Transformers’ is due for a switch” which mostly consists of director Michael Bay and producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura explaining what went wrong with the previous installment, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (blamed mostly on the rushed schedule and writers strike). There are a few interesting bits about the newest film to be found in the article, here is a sample:

OK, let’s get this straight: so, doing 100mph in a Chevy on the National Mall and setting off a lot of explosions near the White House, even fake ones, is bad? Right, OK, got it. Michael Bay and his crew have been planning to do quite a lot of shooting in Washington D.C. for Transformers 3, but the city isn’t so keen on some of the production’s plans. I bet this Roland Emmerich would never be subject to such indignity. Read More »

Last week we posted and ridiculed the unsolicited video audition that reality television star Heidi Montag recorded for Michael Bay in an attempt to become Megan Fox‘s replacement in Transformers 3. We joked that Montag would have probably had better luck modeling some skimpy clothes or, gasp, reading from a sample page of script sides, instead of firing guns and running around. If you haven’t yet watched that video, please watch it now before continuing…

On the other hand, Sir Ben Kingsley has stepped up to show how it should be done by a serious actor and thespian. Kingsley recorded and submitted his own video audition for Michael Bay, vying for the role vacated by Megan Fox. Please, don’t let anyone tell him that Victoria’s Secret model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley has already signed on for the part. Watch Kingsley’s audition video, embedded after the jump.

A couple weeks back, Megan FoxleftTransformers 3 and soon after it was rumored that Victoria’s Secret model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley had been offered the role as Fox’s replacement. It seemed almost like a sure thing, but we hadn’t heard anything from official channels until now. Victoria’s Secret has released a video announcing/congratulating Huntington-Whiteley’s casting in the upcoming threequel. You can watch the video after the jump.

Last week Megan FoxleftTransformers 3 and it now appears that Victoria’s Secret model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley is Michael Bay‘s top choice as Fox’s successor.

Heidi Montag, star of the MTV reality series The Hills, has recorded a video audition for Michael Bay, which she has posted online. Montag does have some acting credits on her resume: appearing as herself on an episode of the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother in January 2009, and a cameo role in the Adam Sandler comedy Just Go with It. Okay, her acting credits are pretty slim.

The audition, which can be watched after the jump, features Montag firing guns and running around. Something tells me that how an actress looks firing a gun plays very little in Bay’s casting decisions. Montag probably would have had better luck modeling some skimpy clothes or, gasp, reading from a sample page of script sides.

Last week Megan FoxleftTransformers 3 (or was not asked back, depending upon which report you believe) and immediately rumors began to swirl about her replacement. Names of a few actual actresses were floated as vague rumors (like Gemma Arterton) but then speculation focused on models, with one Victoria’s Secret model, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, as the most possible successor. (Michael Bay, don’t forget, has directed Victoria’s Secret commercials, so he’s had time to estimate various models’, um, acting chops.) Now it seems like the job is hers. Read More »

Reports that Megan Fox left Transformers 3, and not the other way around, are looking more plausible now. The Wrap has a source “close to the actress” who claims that Fox walked away from the film because Michael Bay was “verbally abusive.” Fox “had enough and decided to get out early.” This squares with previous statements that Fox has made about Bay, calling him a “tyrant” and a difficult director to work with.

The Wrap’s Jeff Sneider speculates that “it’s highly plausible that Paramount studio chariman Brad Grey’s well-known relationship with [Deadline] editor-in-chief Nikki Finke played a part in how the story was initially spun.” Deadline was the first to break the news this past Wednesday that Fox was out of the sequel. For its part, Paramount is still claiming agency in the decision. Said the studio: “Paramount had the unilateral right to exercise an option for Megan Fox to appear in ‘Transformers 3.’ Paramount at its sole election allowed the option to lapse.”

So Megan Fox is out of Transformers 3 and her replacements are already being discussed. But it seems that Fox is not willing to let movie studios or film journalists write her narrative. Proving that she will not go quietly into that good night, representatives for Fox told People magazine that it was in fact her idea to leave the franchise that made her a star: “Megan Fox will not be starring in Transformers 3…It was her decision not to return. She wishes the franchise the best.”

Seems like a dubious but understandable attempt at damage control by Fox. Deadline has a pretty good rundown of the history of Fox’s PR tussles, but I think the most incisive point is that Fox’s post-Transformers career hasn’t exactly lit the world aflame. Jennifer’s Body only took in $16 million domestically, while Jonah Hex looks like it could be a hit or miss, probably the latter. Would anyone in her position really turn down a cash cow like Transformers, even if it meant working with Michael Bay?

That was fast. It’s been only hours since the first report surfaced that Michael Bay and Paramount had decided against bringing Megan Fox back into the fold for Transformers 3, and already there are recasting rumors. Some might be a slight bit premature. But decisions can happen fast, especially with only weeks left before the film shoots, which means relatively little time remains to lock down whatever script changes would be necessary to accommodate a new character.

All that being the case, who gets to be the new love interest for Shia LaBeouf in Transformers 3? Gemma Arteron is said to be high on the list, and she’s actually a damn good choice. Read More »

Briefly: Note to actresses: might not be a great idea to refer to your directors as Hitler. We don’t have a lot of info right now, but Deadline is reporting that Paramount will not be picking up Megan Fox‘s option to appear in Transformers 3. Reportedly, the decision came down to Michael Bay, and he decided not to pull the trigger on hiring Fox.

Deadline’s source says Bay and his writers will be “giving Shia [LaBeouf] a new love interest makes more sense for the story.” Make your predictions about the implications for the future of Fox’s career, and the real reason for this decision, in the comments below.